Air conditioning apparatus



July '15, 1941. MOSELEY AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed March 18, 19405 Sh'eets$heet 1 mvam 'o a 75/21/1713! I M ase/ey BY 69544 X M ATTORNEY.

July 15, 1 941. T. l. MOSELEY AIR'COND'ITIONING APPARATUS Filed March18, A1940 '5 Sheets-Sheet 2 xxx - INVENTOR 7301/! son [Mose/9y imxm'k 4TTOHNE Y July 15, 1941. T. MOSELEY AIR CONDITIONING ARIARA' IUS Fil egiMarch 18, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fri! BY 641cm Patented July 15, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF ICE AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS romlinsen-tmcseley,San Francisco, Calif. Application? March 18, 1940. Serial No. 324,552

4' Claims.

This invention relates to airconditioning apparatus and is moreparticularly directed to that general. character of apparatus-in whichthe air is passed through a moistened air-pervious m'edium.

The principal object of therpre'senti invention is to provide animproved" air conditioning ap paratus which an endless belt ofair-pervious:

material is continuously driven in a cyclic path into and out ofna' poolof air conditioning" liquid to progressively moisten said belt as itii'ssubmerged in the liquid p001 and in which the air is circulated through"the moistened belt web during its travel ab'o've'the liquid'level of thepool, the apparatus thus effecting a continuous and uniform moisten'ingof the travelingrbelt'without the necessity of circulating: the liquidthrough the use of a pump or other similar means; andzthe constanttravel of the belt through pool during its submergence therein tendingto rinse said belt free of dust and" other foreign matter filteredthereby from the circulated" air.

the liquid" Various apparatus for air conditioning; have heretofore beendesigned to employ stationary curtain members that are moistened bywater dripped: or sprayed thereon from an, overhead: reservoiror spraymeans, the dripped or sprayed water slowly passing downwardly in thecurtainmaterial by gravity and capillary action' to more orless-saturate the curtain material; and the sur plus-water draining fromthe lower ends ofsuch stationary curtain members into a drip pan orcatch basinfrom which it is returned by apunip or other similarmeansto'theoverhead reservoir or spray means. In apparatus of this characterthe downward flow of the circulated water through the curtain material:is so exceptionally" low and no appreciable rinsing action" is eifectedthereby, and for this reason the stationary curtainmembers areparticularly susceptible of becoming clogged by'the' dust, lintandoth'er for-' eign matter which they filter from-thecirculated' air.Also'the very fine discharge orifices which must be employed in suchdrip-or spray arrange ments may, and often do, become clogged bysuchdust-and dirt asmaybe entrained by thecirculating water.

'I'heimproved apparatus herein disclosed over-i comes these detrimentalcharacteristics'of such prior apparatus by providing a simplifiedarrangement involving an endless-beltelement con-" stantly driven'todipinto a=substantially-"static pool of liquid and thusbecome:progressively rinsed. andmoistened thereby; this impr0vedar'--rangementrendering unnecessarythe 'employ-' ment of water circulatingdrip or spray systems and stationary curtain members which may be, andfrequently are, rendered ineffective by becoming clogged. I A

The invention is exemplified in the following description andillustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which: v

Fig. 1 is a vertical section taken on the line II of Fig. 3. I Fig. 2 isavertical section taken on the line II-II'of Fig. 1. I ,7 v M Fig. 3 isa vertical section taken on th'eline III-I II of Fig. 1 1 i Referringparticularly to Figs. 1 to- 3 of th'e" drawings, the housing or cabinetin wl'fich'the mechanism is supported ispreferably formed of sheetmetal, thevarious parts-thereofbeing con nected by welding or by othersuitable means. Such housing comprises a pan' -like' base I llwhichforms a reservoir adapted to contain a poolll of water or other airconditioning liquid, front and rear" walls l2' and I 3; respectively;which" are preferably welded to the frontand rearmarginal walls of saidbase I0 and extend upwardly; therefromja dished top wall [4 whose frontand rear flange portions extend downwardly and are preferably welded tothe upper edges'of the're spective front and rear walls 12" and f3.an'dopposed upright" side walls I 5' and l'6, respectively; which may beremovabl y associated with the'ad-' jacent housing Walls. The side walls[5" and I'B are each stamped to form louvers I! which define a series ofair'intakeopenin'gs l8, and the front wall. I2 is provided with'arectangular aii discharge opening I 9' registering with the'*dis'-charge throat 20 o'f'ablowerZl. As shown in Fig. 1, four'h'orizontalshafts 22" are rotatably'mounted'in thef0urhoriZonta1 corner portions ofthe housing in parallel relation to the front and rear housing walls andtoeach other. To the op'posit'eends' of these shafts 22 aresecured'chain sprockets 23, the four'sprocketsadjacent the front housingwall [2 being ver-= tically aligned to comprise one'set thereof andthe'four sprockets adjacent therearhousing'wall l3 being similarlyverticallyalignedtocomprise a second-set thereof.

Rove around and meshingwith the 'four'aligned' sprockets 23 of eachs'et'is' an endless-chain; and closely surrounding both. of" these'chains is an endlessair-pervious belt'25' which -is* of suf-' ficientwidth to substantially span the'spa'ce be tween the front and" rearwalls of the housing and thus divide the interior'of th'e'hou'sihgintoan'outer chamber betweenthe belt: and th'ehous- V ing walls and an innerchamber within the endless web of the belt.

The opposite marginal edge portions of the belt 25 are secured to theadjacent chains 24 so that the belt will be driven by and travel inunison with said chains. The preferable method of attaching the belt tothe chains is to incorporate in said chains, at relatively spacedintervals, attachment links each provided with a lateral flange or tang24a which is riveted or otherwise secured to the belt web.

By this arrangement the belt 25 is disposed in the housing to surroundthe blower 2| with its upper horizontal flight above the blower andspaced from the top housing wall M, with its opposite vertical flightsclosely adjacent the respective side walls l5 and IE to pass the airintake openings I8 thereof and with its lower horizontal flight disposedbelow the blower 2| and submerged in the liquid pool ll.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, duplicate means are employed for rotatablysupporting the opposite ends of each of the sprocket shafts 22. In eachinstance such means comprises a box-like journal bracket 26 having avertical end wall 26a and connecting side walls 26b provided withflanges 260 which arewelded or otherwise secured tothe adjacent frontand rear housing wall, as the case may be.

The outer edge of the wall 26a; of each of the brackets 26 is rounded toconform with the curvature of the belt 25 as it travels around therespective sprockets and is turned inwardly to provide a bead 26ddisposed to be slidably engaged by the inner surface of the belt.

These brackets form the corner portions of duplicate sealing meansbetween the housing walls andthe opposite edge portions of the belt,such sealing means at each side of the belt being completed byintermediate sealing strips 21 extending from each bracket to the nextadjacent bracket. Each .of said sealing strips 21 is of general Z-shapein cross-section, as shown in Fig. 2, and provides a vertical wall 21a.and a lateral wall 21b which is provided with a flange 210 by means ofwhich said strip is welded or otherwise secured to the adjacent housingwall. It will be noted that the outer edge ofthe vertical wall 21a, ofeach sealing strip 21 is turned inwardly to provide a bead 21d of thesame shape as is the beads 26d of the several brackets 26.

With particular reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings it will be observedthat the lateral walls 21b of the sealing strips 21 form continuationsof the connecting side walls 26b of the associated journal brackets,and-that the vertical walls 21a and beads 21d thereof align with andform 'continuations of the vertical walls 26a and beads 26d of saidbrackets.

These brackets 26 and strips 21 thus form endless sealing means withwhich the opposed edge portions of the belt 25 slidably engage to sealthe inner chamber so as to compel the incomingair to first'pass throughthe belt web before entering the inner chamber.

The blower 2| is disposed within the belt 25 which defines the perimeterof the inner cham her, and although other types of blower or aircirculating means may be employed to produce the desired circulation,'ithas been found that the more or less standard type of squirrel-cageblower illustrated in the drawings is particularly efficient in thissituation.

The opposite side walls 28 of the blower casing are provided withcircular air inlet openings 29 axially aligned with the horizontalimpeller shaft 30 which has secured thereto the squirrelcage impeller orblower wheel 3|. The shaft 30 is journaled in pillow blocks 32 and in aspeed reduction gear unit 33 of the worm and pinion type, transmittingrotary motion to a shaft 34 carrying on its outer end a pulley 35. Rovearound this pulley and a similar pulley 36 on one of the sprocket shafts22 is an endless belt 31. By this means the blower shaft 30 drives oneof the shafts 22 which will, through the endless chains 24, drive theother three shafts 22 in unison therewith. The opposite end of theimpeller shaft 30 carries a belt wheel 38 and is driven by an electricmotor 39 through a pulley and belt 4|.

It will be understood that other forms of driving means may be employedto drive the four sprocket shafts in unison and at the proper speed inrelation to the speed of the blower impeller, and that the motor may bemounted on the blower casing as'shown or may be otherwise supported.

For the purpose of supporting the blower 2|, angle iron side frames 42are secured to the opposite side walls 28 of the blower casing and areprovided with upper plates 43 which support the respective pillow blocks32 and the speed reduction gear unit 33. 'The lower rail 44 of each sideframe is secured by bolts 45 to a horizontal angle iron beam 46 disposedabove the'level of the liquid pool H with its opposite ends restingupon'and secured to the lateral walls 21b of the opposite sealing strips21, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. It is preferable to dispose between saidside frames and said beams rubber or other resilient means which willabsorb vibrations and tend to produce a substantially quiet operation ofthe blower, and in the present instance such means are disclosed asbeing rubber washers 41 which surround the respective bolts 45.

To maintain the liquid pool II at the proper level a supply pipe 48leads to a'valve 49 which is actuated by a float 50 disposed in saidpool above the lower submerged flight of the belt 25/ The endless belt'25 is herein illustrated as being constructed of fabric, and while asomewhat coarsely woven absorbent fabric will prove eflicient for thepurpose intended, such belt may be formed of other material capable ofpicking up the amount of liquid required to moisten the belt to thedegree required to effectthe air conditioning operation for which theapparatus is designed." If constructed of absorbent fabric, such fabric,in one or more layers, will provide a belt of substantial thickness andof such character as to permit passage of air therethrough withoutproducing any appreciable cavitating or drag effect upon the blower orsuch other air circulating means as may be employed. Y In the operationof the above described apparatus, the absorbent belt will be driven at avery slow' speed relative to the speed of the blower impeller, and inits cyclic travel will be submerged in the liquid pool to passtherethrough and be progressively rinsed and moistened. As the beltleaves the static pool, it will be translated upwardly adjacent one sidewall of the housing past the intake openings thereof, horizontally inthe upper portion of said housing and downwardly adjacent the oppositeside wall and past its intake openings to again enter and be submergedin the liquid pool, such cyclic travel of manner indicated by the beltbeing uniform and continuous throughout the operation of the apparatus.

Air is circulated through the apparatus in the the flow arrows in Fig.1, the blower 2| drawing such air inwardly through the intake openingsl8 of the housing side walls and into the outer chamber, thence throughthe moistened web of the belt 25 and into the inner chamber from whichthe conditioned air will enter the blower to be discharged therebythrough the discharge opening I!) of the housing.

From the foregoing it will be understood by those skilled in the art thathe present invention involves the circulation of air through acontinuously traveling air-pervious belt which is continuously rinsedand uniformly moistened through its cyclic travel into and out of a poolof air conditioning liquid, and that the disclosed apparatus providesmeans compelling all of the circulated air to pass through the moistenedair pervious belt Web and also provides automatic means for maintainingthe liquid pool at a substantially' constant level.

It will also be understood that while water may be employed as the beltmoistening liquid in the use of the apparatus for ordinary airconditioning purposes, other liquids or solutionsmay be used to scent ordisinfect the conditioned air or to otherwise treat such airfor-specific purposes, and that, in view of such uses, the term airconditioning liquid as herein employed is intended to embrace in itsscope the several types of liquids and solutions which may be used inthe disclosed apparatus.

While Ihave disclosed the preferred form of the present invention, it isto be understood that various changes may be made in the constructionwithout departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in theappended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. In air conditioning apparatus, a housing formed to contain a pool ofair conditioning liquid, a moisture conveying air-pervious endless beltmounted in said housing for cyclic travel into and out of said pool toprogressively submerge therein and moisten successive portions of saidbelt and translate the moistened belt web in its cyclic path above saidpool, said belt dividing the interior of the housing above said poolinto an outer air chamber surrounding the belt web and an inner airchamber within said belt web and the housing walls being provided withair intake openings communicating with said outer chamber and an airdischarge opening communicating with said inner chamber, belt drivingmeans for continuously driving said belt, and air circulating means forcontinuously drawing air through said air intake openings, said outerchamber and said moistened belt web into said inner chamber and fordischarging said air from said inner chamber through said dischargeopenmg.

2. In air conditioning apparatus, a housing formed to contain a pool ofair conditioning liquid, a moisture conveying air-pervious endless beltmounted in said housing for cyclic travel into and out of said pool toprogressively submerge therein and moisten successive portions of saidbelt and translate the moistened belt web in its cyclic path above saidpool, said belt dividing the interior of the housing above said poolinto an outer air chamber surrounding the belt web and an inner airchamber within said belt web and the housing walls being provided withair intake openings communicating with said outer chamber and an airdischarge opening communicating with said inner chamber, belt drivingmeans for continuously driving said belt, air circulating' means forcontinuously drawing air through said air intake openings, said outerchamber and said moistened belt web into said inner chamber and fordischarging said air from said inner chamber through said dischargeopening, and sealing means on the housing walls adjacent the oppositeedges of said belt and formed to be slidably engaged by the edgeportions of the belt to prevent communication between said chambersexcept 7 through the air-pervious belt.

3. In air conditioning apparatus, a housing formed to contain a pool ofair conditioning liquid, .a moisture conveying air-pervious endless beltmounted in said housing for cyclic travel into and out of said pool toprogressively sub- 7 merge therein and moisten successive portions of 7its cyclic path above said pool,

said belt and translate the moistened belt web in said belt dividing theinterior of the housing above said pool into an outer air chambersurrounding the belt web and an inner air chamber within said belt weband the housing walls being provided with air intake openingscommunicating with said outer chamber and an air discharge openingcommunicating with said inner chamber, belt driving means forcontinuously driving said belt, and an air circulating blower disposedWithin said inner chamber for continuously drawing air through said airintake openings, said outer chamber and said moistened belt Web intosaid inner chamber and for discharging said air from said inner chamberthrough said discharge opening.

4. In air conditioning apparatus, a housing formed to contain in itsbase portion a pool of air conditioning liquid, a plurality ofrelatively spaced horizontally disposed sprocket shafts rotatablyjournaled on opposed vertical walls of said housing, sprockets securedon the opposite end portions of each of said shafts to provide axiallyspaced vertically aligned sets thereof, an endless sprocket chain rovearound and meshing with the several sprockets of each aligned setthereof, a moisture conveying air-pervious endless belt surrounding bothof said chains and secured thereto for unitary travel therewith, saidsprocket shafts being disposed in position said belt for cyclic travelsaid pool to progressively submerge thereinand moisten successiveportions of said belt and translate the moistened belt web in its cyclicpath inner chamber, and air circulating means for con tinuously drawingair through said intake openings, said outer chamber and said moistenedbelt web into said inner chamber and for discharging said air from saidinner chamber through said discharge opening.

TOMLIN SON I. MOSELEY.

said housing to. into and out of

